186 pages
234 x 156mm
ISBN: 978 1 85856 430 2
October 2008

This book tells the stories of children's experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender identities in their families, communities, personal lives and schools. Researchers, practitioners, interest groups, policy makers and young people came together over 18 months until May 2007 in an exciting and innovative project. The narrative and analysis that emerged opens a new arena for everyone working with children. It presents

• new ways of conceptualising and overcoming homophobia and transphobia in educational settings


• ideas about how to translate policy supporting sexualities equality into the experiences of children and their families


• the voices of young LGBT people speaking about their experiences of childhood


• fresh insights for people who work with children and have not considered the importance of sexualities equality for children’s lives


• a vital contribution to building a fairer society

Contributors include Mark Jennett, author of Stand up for us, the British government guidelines on challenging homophobia in schools; Stephen Whittle, trans activist and professor of equalities law; members of Lesbian and Gay Youth Manchester; members of the No Outsiders research team challenging homophobia in primary schools; Sue Sanders, co-chair of Schools Out and teacher David Watkins.

This is an important book for anyone living or working with children: parents, teachers, community workers, voluntary workers, and all those brought under the broad scope of children's services across the UK, and equivalent services elsewhere. It brings together the voices of people from many sectors who realise the urgency of addressing issues of sexualities equality early on in children's lives.

Renée DePalma of the University of Sunderland has written extensively on equality and inclusion and is Senior Researcher for the ESRC-funded project No Outsiders: Researching Approaches to Sexualities Equality in Primary Schools.

Elizabeth Atkinson has published widely on equality and human rights, with special interest in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. She is Director of the No Outsiders research project, and was convenor of the ESRC-funded seminar series, Invisible Boundaries: Addressing sexualities equality in children’s worlds, from which this book has arisen. Elizabeth is series co-editor of Trentham’s Discourse, Power, Resistance series.